Electroplating apparatus.



PATENTED MAR. 10. 1908.

G. A. LUTZ. ELBGTROPLATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 8, 1907.

.GEORGE A. LUTZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR 'lO AMERICAN CIRCULAR LOOM COMPANY,

' OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedMarch 10, 1908.

Original application filed April 8, 1907, Serial No. 366,903. Divided and this application filed August 8, 1,907.-

. Serial .No. 887,669.

To alllizlwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon A. LU'rz, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city, borough of Brooklyn, in the v be quickly immersed in and removed from the electrolyte or bath and .to simultaneously immerse and remove one'or more anodes, in invention having particular reference toga vanizing a pluralityol" pipes simultaneously,

such as conduits for electric conductors.

My invention comprises a suitable tank for the electrolyte or bath,"m'eans[for suspending an exterior anode orv series of anodes, a cathode adapted to support articles to be plated and means for suspending one or more anodes from said cathode and insulated therefrom and I. also connect =said anodes electrically in the circuit. My invention also comprises the novel details of improvement more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to bo had to the accompanyin drawings forming part hereof, Whercin %*igure 1 is a plan view of an electro-plating apparatus. embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is across scctionsubstantially on the line 2, 12in Fig. 1. Fig.- 3 is a detail plan of the cathode plate, the contact for the interior anodes being removed. Fig. 4 is an en larged vertical section through the cathode plate and its anodes, Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5, 5 in Fig. 4; and Fig. is a section of the interior anode contact or ring.

11 theaccompanying drawings, in which similar numerals indicate corresponding parts in the several views, the numeral 1 indicates a suitable tank within which the several series of anodes 2, 3 are suspended. Tank 1 is shown provided on its upper edge with a metal rim 4 shown provided with a binding post 5 for connection with a line wire 6, and suit-able hooks 7, which support the anodes 2 within tank 1, rest upon and make electrical contact with rim 4.

At 8 is a cathode plate of suitable metal, shown adapted to fit within tank 1 and from which the articles 9 are to be suspended in the electrolyte in the tank, which cathode plate is shown of such diameter as to permit it to pass between the outer series of anodes 2 and their hooks 7 The cathodeplate 8 is shown provided with a series of threaded apertures S, on its under surface, to which pipes 9 to be plated may be screwed so as to depend from cathode 8 in the electrolyte in the tank hetwecnthe' several series of anodes 2, 3. I have shown the pipes 9 as arranged in circles, one within another, around anodes 3 andivithin the series of arodcs 2, with suitable spaces between said pipes to permit the rcadyfi plating of said pipes over their ext crior su Places. I

At 10 is a suitable eye bolt or su )port conncctcd with cathode plate 8 where y the latter may be raised or lowered.

I have shown the anodes 3 suspended from cathode plate 8 and insulated from said plate, for which purpose said anodes are hung upon hooks 12", shown bent at both ends, and. which are insulated from plate 8 as by insu-, lating blocks 13 set in holes in said plate and provided with openings receiving said hooks, which blocks are shown provided with flanges 13 resting u on plate 8, the upper bent ends 12 of said iooks resting upon said blocks whereby said hooks are insulated from said plate. Anodes 3 are shown provided with holes 3 receiving the lower bent ends of hook 12, whereby said anodes may be readily connected with and disconnected from said hooks. The anodes 3 are to be placed in circuit with the anodes 2 and for this purpose I have shown a contact or metal ring 14 resting .upon hooks 12 and shown provided with a bindin post j15 connected y wire 16 with rim 4, as by apost 17 thereon. One or more of the hooks IZimay'. have pins 12" passing through holes 14 i rcontact 14 to kee said contact in. proper piisition upon sail hooks, and said contact is shown provided with an opening 14" (see through which eye-bolt It) passes. plate 8 is shown provided with a binding post 1H for connection with a line wire it).

.lneloetro-platingbymeansot1nyimp|'o\'ements, the at series within the ot her upon their respective hooks T and 12, and th be plated will be at tachod to cathode 8 from wluch anodes 3 are also suspended, which plate will then be lowered to imnn-lse said 1pipes or articles and anodes 3 in the electro- Fig. 6) (athode nodes may he hung in series (one block carried by e pipes or articles to wire will flow through the several anodes and thence through the electrolyte, the articles 9 and cathode N to the, line it), and when the articles to be plated h cathode h with tho attached articles and anode 3 will be removed, and a new set of articles attached to said plate and h'iwered into the electrolyte tor plating. Each time that the cathode plate 8 is raised from the. tank the anodes I; suspended therefrom may be inspected and replaced as required upon books 12, whereby the condition of said anodes may be frequently and readily determined.

By means oi my improvements a relatively large number of articles may be attached to the cathode plate for simultaneous plating and simultaneousremoval from the electrolyte, and thereby a large number of articles and of considerable size, such as iron pipes i or electric conduits, maybe quickly handled for elcctro-plating galvanized in my apparatus by means of zinc anodes, and bysuspending the articles t) be tween the exterior and interior series of anodes the exterior surfaces of such articles may be uniformly galvanised.

The articles 9 may he suspended from cathode plate 8 in any other suitable manner, and other changes may be made within the scope oi thoappended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now ('lcscribed my invention, what I claim is:-

1. The combination of a tank for an electrolyte, mcans for suspending an anode therein, a cathode, means for suspending an article to be plated therefrom, means for suspending an anode from said cathode, and means for insulating, the anode from said cathode.

2. The combination of a tank for an elect1 olyte, means for suspending an anode therein, a cathode, means for suspending an article to be plated therefrom, and an anode suspending device carried by and insulated from said cathode.

3. The combination of a tank for an electrolyte, nieans for suspending an anode therein, a cathode, means for suspending an Pipes may be readily aye been plated the I t t. l

l l I l l l 'trolyte, therein, a cathode article to be lated therefrom, a hook arried yto in tank I. and the current from the line 3 l article to be plated therefrom, and a hook carried by and insulated from said. cathod 4. The combination of a tank for an elec trolyte, means for suspending n1 anode therein, a cathode, means for susp'emling an article to be plated therefrom, an insulating; said cathode, and a hook supported by said block to sustain an anode. 5. The combination of a tank for an elecmeans for suspending an anode means for suspending an iv and insu ated from said cathode, and a contact connected with said book,

6. The combination of a tank for an electrolyte, means for suspending an outer series of anodes within the tank, a cathode having means for suspending articles to be plated, and means carried by said cathode and insulated therefrom for suspending anodes within the first named series of anodes.

7. The combination of a tank for an elcctrolyte, means for suspending an outer series of anodes within the tank, a, cathode having means for suspending articles to be plated. insulators carried by said cathode within said series of anodes, and anode suspending dcyices carried by said insulators.

8. The, combination of a tank for an olec" trolyte, means for suspending an outer series of anodes within the tank, a cathode having means for suspending articles to be. plated, insulating blocks carried by said 'athode, hooks supported by said blocks and suspcnth ing anodes within said series of anodes. and a contact connected with said books.

9. The ctunbination of a tank for an electrolvte. means for suspending an outer series of anod s within the tank, a cathode having means for suspending articles to be plated, insulating blocks carried by said cathode and havingopenings, hooks supported by said blocks and passing through said blocks, anodes hung on said hooks, and a. contact connected with said hooks.

10. The combination ot a tank for an electrolytc, means for suspending an outer series of anodes within the tank. a cathode having means for suspending articles to be plated, anode suspending devices carried by and insulated from said cathode, a contact connected with said devices and provided with an opening, and means for suspending said cathode through said opening in said contact.

11. The combination of atank for an electrolyte, means for suspending an outer series of anodes within the tank, a cathode having means for suspending articles to be plated, a series of anodes suspended from said cathode and insulated therefrom, and means for connecting the first and second named anodes in series.

If. The combination'ot a: tank having a q I 881,811 a; f i 1 N i 1 metal rim, hooks on said rim, anodes sns- New York, and State of New York, this 2nd pended from said hooks, a catliodedhavirlig day of August A. D. 1907. means to suspend artic es to be p ate hoo s I carried by said cathode and insulated there- GEORGE LUTZ' 5 from, and means for electrically connecting Witnesses:

said cathode hooks and said rim in a circuit. T. F. BOURNE,

Signed at New York city, in the county of RALPH H. RAPHAEL. 

